Why Was PETA’s Latest Ad Banned?
Following boohoo group’s decision to reverse its ban on wool, PETA tried to place a not-at-all-graphic billboard in the CEO’s hometown of Leek, but the ad was rejected.
The ad shows a lamb’s sweet face next to the words, “Come On, boohoo – Show Some Moral Fibre. Ban Cruel Wool,” but media agency Primesight rejected the ad because it “is likely to offend the general public or offend ethnic, religious or other community groups” and “might adversely affect the interest of the site owner”.
Let’s share the ad far and wide so that people see it despite the ban. Get involved by posting it on Instagram, tagging @boohoo and @PETAUK and using the hashtag #boohooBanWool. Explain why you think boohoo should ditch wool, and invite your friends to support your efforts.
Why Should boohoo Keep Its Promise to Ban Wool?
Sheep Suffer
This campaign comes in the wake of a damning PETA Asia eyewitness investigation into the British wool industry, which documented that farmers struck terrified sheep in the face and that shearers slammed their heads into the floor, stamped and stood on their necks, and threw them off shearing trailers.
The video footage highlights just some of the cruelty observed on 49 sheep farms across England and Scotland toured by workers with a shearing contractor in 2018, prompting the Scottish SPCA to open an investigation.
Other exposés by PETA affiliates of farms across Australia, the US, and South America have revealed that sheep are mutilated, tormented, and sometimes skinned alive – even for “responsibly sourced” wool on self-proclaimed “sustainable” farms.
Once sheep are no longer considered useful for wool production, they’re packed onto crowded lorries and taken to abattoirs, where their throats are slit.
Environmental Disaster
The wool industry also wreaks havoc on the environment: manure generated by farmed animals has significantly contributed to the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases, large-scale grazing has led to vegetation change and soil erosion, and faecal matter and sheep “dip” (a toxic chemical used to rid sheep of parasites) pollute local waterways.
The “Pulse of the Fashion Industry” report ranks wool fifth on its list of materials that have the highest cradle-to-gate environmental impact.
What You Can Do
There are many animal- and Earth-friendly vegan alternatives to wool available today – from hemp and coconut fibres treated with enzymes extracted from oyster mushrooms to organic cotton, bamboo, and even banana bark.
Ditch wool in favour of these high-performing animal-free fibres, and urge boohoo to do the same.
